Tuesday and time for your retro tuna fix. This week a sandwich. Much like a Monte Cristo sandwich…sorta not. Nice and inexpensive. (Though geez-what is going on with the price of tuna?!) Too much mayo in the recipe as usual.

Tuna Berry Sandwiches

1 6 1/2 oz can tuna-drained and flaked
1/4 cup finely chopped celery
2 tablespoons walnuts, chopped
1/4 cup mayonnaise or salad dressing
8 slices white bread
1 8-oz can jellied cranberry sauce, sliced 1/4 inch thick

***

2 slightly beaten eggs
3 tablespoons milk
Dash salt

Combine tuna, celery, nuts, and mayonnaise. Spread filling on 4 slices of bread. Arrange cranberry slices atop filling; top with remaining bread. Combine eggs, milk, and salt. Dip sandwiches in egg mixture. Brown on medium hot, lightly greased griddle, about 6 to 8 minutes, turning once. Makes 4 servings.

From Fondue and Tabletop Cooking, 1970

Well…an interesting choice for tuna salad…sort of tuna salad meets pimento cheese. Give it a whirl. Ok, substitute real cheese for the process cheese first.

Tuna Cheese Spread

1/2 lb. process cheese, grated
1 sm. can pimento, chopped
1 can tuna flaked and drained
Juice of 1/2 lemon
Salt to taste
Mayonnaise to taste

Blend all ingredients; spread on sandwiches or serve with assorted crackers or potato chips. Yield 10-12 servings. (I find it is more like 4 servings)

Nothing brings up the picture of retro lunch than a nice chicken salad sandwich on white bread. Of course, I do tend to prefer mine on rye bread. Hmmm…anyhow, add a slice of tomato or two if you wish or…make it totally retro and serve on a leaf of lettuce, stuffed into a tomato shell. Yum! Use your leftover barbecued chicken (take the skin off), the chicken off the parts no one volunteers for at dinner, or snag a piece of chicken leftover from dinner. (or you could just go get one of those deli rotisserie chickens and use that, not as thrifty but quick)

Basic Chicken Salad

1-2 cups cooked chicken, chopped
1/2 cup chopped celery
1 small grated onion
2 tablespoons mayonnaise (add a shade more if needed to make salad stick together)
2 tablespoons sour cream
salt and pepper to taste

Combine first three ingredients in bowl. Mix together mayonnaise and sour cream. Add to chicken mixture. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Some variations:

Add 1/4 - 1/2 cup of any of the following:

Chopped hard boiled eggs
Almonds
Cashews
Pecans
Grapes
Chopped apple (add a bit of lemon juice to it before mixing in, so the apple doesn’t turn brown)
Mandarin oranges
or a small jar of pimentos-drained

This recipe uses up a dab of this and a dab of that and is a wonderful retro way of serving a family a unique meal on a tight budget or with an empty cupboard. You can add leftover tomato or shredded cheese instead of or in addition to the green pepper if green peppers are too pricey in your area and your garden doesn’t have an abundance. Shredded potato also will work well.
5 eggs
2 tablespoons chopped onion
â…“ cup chopped green  pepper
2 tablespoons chopped cooked ham
Salt and pepper to taste
10 slices buttered bread or toast

Slightly beat eggs, add onion, green pepper and ham, and pour into hot, buttered 9 or 10-inch skillet. Cook over low heat until eggs are just firm. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cut into 5 pieces and place between slices of bread or toast. Two egg yolks may be substituted for one whole egg. 5 sandwiches. The Modern Family Cookbook

YUM. Why is grilled cheese so hard to get away from home? Why can’t I go get a grilled cheese sandwich for lunch? Grilled cheese is sooooooooooooo yummy. Even this pretty processed one sounds good. Really good. Really, really, really good. I want grilled cheese and I want it now! Does anyone know a way to make grilled cheese at the office?

10 slices enriched bread
10 thin slices  American  Cheese
3 tablespoons prepared mustard
10 slices bacon, ½ lb.

Toast bread lightly. Cover each slice with a slice of cheese, then spread cheese with mustard. Cut each slice of bacon in half and lay 2 half slices on top of the cheese. Grill in broiler under low heat until bacon is crisp and cheese is melted and slightly browned. Serve hot with sweet or dill pickles. 10 open-face sandwiches.  The Modern Family Cookbook

Yum! Peanut butter-one of my favorite foods…the addition of peppery watercress sets the peanut butter off nicely and adds all that fun cancer fighting stuff to your sandwich!

½ cup peanut butter
1 bunch watercress
Salt to taste
10 slices buttered bread

Thin peanut butter with water, milk, cream or mayonnaise, if desired. Spread on half the butttered bread. Wash watercress, remove white roots and shake off water. Place sprigs over peanut butter and sprinkle lightly with salt. Cover with rest of bread. 5 sandwiches.  The Modern Family Cookbook

Not just for ladies who lunch. This is a perfect light lunch…give it a try. These are particularly good with homegrown lettuce or your early local lettuces. It really gives you a chance to enjoy the flavor of lettuce, not just the texture.
Head or leaf lettuce
10 slices buttered bread
3 tablespoons mayonnaise

Separate washed drained lettuce into leaves, or shred. Arrange leaves or shredded lettuce generously on half the slices of buttered bread, then spread rest of slices with mayonnaise. Lay together. If desired, both slices of bread may be spread with mayonnaise instead of butter. Good with chicken, meat, or fish salads. Enough for 5 sandwiches.  The Modern Family Cookbook

I swear! That is what it is called. This recipe, contributed by a Mrs. F. M. Davison in Des Moines, Iowa is contained in the Sandwiches section of the Favorite Recipes of America Salads cookbook, 1966. It does contain all the vintage faves though: bacon, chili sauce, cheese. I bet it was the ladies favorite. Serve at your next luncheon to see if it still is a hit.

Ladies Favorite

½ lb. sharp cheese, grated
¼ lb. diced raw bacon
1 egg, beaten
2 tbsp. chili sauce
Dash of pepper
8 slices of bread

Combine cheese, bacon, egg, chili sauce and pepper. Lay bread on cookie sheet. Spread cheese mixture on bread. Bake at 400 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes. Yield: 8 servings.

Despite the recipe name, this is NOT a neon orange snack food recipe. Instead it is a cheese sandwich, this one a bit plainer but a nice, hot winter lunch that is a little different yet quick and easy.

Cheese Puffs

1¼ cups grated sharp cheese
1 egg, beaten
3 tablespoons milk
Dash salt
10 slices bread

Thoroughly mix cheese, egg, milk and salt. Cut slices of bread in half and toast on one side. Spread untoasted side with the cheese mixture and place under broiler until cheese is puffy and toasted. Serve hot. 5 servings. The Modern Family Cookbook

Grilled cheese is something of a family favorite around this house. I am partial to just a grilled cheese with tomato. Other folks prefer the ham and cheese and others prefer the desecration of adding mustard to grilled cheese.

In any case, this is a broiled cheese sandwich with ham.

Toasted Cheese Ham Sandwiches

½ lb. American cheese, grated or sliced

10 slices buttered bread

5 thin slices boiled ham

Place grated or sliced cheese on 5 slices of the buttered bread; cover each with a ham slice and top with another slice of bread. If desired, spread ham with a little mustard before covering. Toast on both sides in broiler; or if desired, sandwiches may be put together buttered-sides-out and pan broiled. 5 sandwiches. The Modern Family Cookbook